2023 RC COMBAT NATS RECAP
By Heath Bartel | heath.bartel@gmail.com
THE 2023 RC COMBAT NATS was flown July 11-12 at the AMA International Aeromodeling Center in Muncie, Indiana. Throughout the two days, five classes with 10 rounds of Combat per class were flown.
The first class was Slow Survivable Combat (SSC). SSC uses a .15 glow engine or equivalent electric motor and an 8 x 3 propeller. The lower-speed and lighter-weight airplanes reduce damage from collisions, resulting in them surviving more rounds of Combat. William Drumm took first place in SSC with 2,832 points, followed by Tim Gillow with 2,148 points, George Pritchett with 1,220 points, and Andrew Shkolik with 804 points.
The second class flown was GNAT. GNAT is a class of Combat that features rugged Coroplast airplanes powered by the same .15 glow engine or equivalent electric motor as SSC but with a higher rpm limit, which provides more power. William took first place in GNAT with 2,192 points, followed by Tim with 1,384, and George with 1,188.
The third class was Limited B. Limited B features a .29 glow engine or equivalent electric motor powering a 10 x 4 propeller. This provides significantly more power, allowing aircraft in this class to fly and climb much faster than any of the other classes flown. The increased weight and speed often result in some spectacular collisions at Limited B events, and the 2023 Nats was no exception. William took first place in Limited B with 3,060 points, followed by Andrew with 1,252, George with 796, and Tim with 212.
The fourth class flown was Scale 2948. Scale 2948 airplanes use the same power system as Limited B, but with additional airframe and wingspan
requirements to add to the challenge. The wingspan must be 48 inches, with a wing shape and fuselage that resembles a World War II fighter aircraft. A well-tuned engine or motor is critical to successfully launch airplanes in this class because the shorter wingspan results in a higher wing loading. The only competitor to not have any failed launches in this class was Andrew with his electric-powered system, which ran consistently at the maximum rpm limit. William took first place in Scale 2948 with 1,848 points, followed closely by Andrew with 1,740, George with 764, and Tim with 160.
The final class flown at the 2023 Nats was E1000. While all of the other classes allow both glow engines and electric motors, E1000 is an all-electric-powered class. The primary requirement for this class is a maximum flight battery size of 1.1 watt-hour. The class takes its name from the 1,000 mAh, three-cell LiPo battery that is commonly used to power these airplanes. The airframe and other components are the pilot’s choice, which results in a number of different designs being flown. The airplanes are smaller and lighter than those flown in the other classes. William took first place in E1000 with 2,360 points, followed by Andrew with 2,272 points, Max Fagen with 992, Tim with 844, and George with 796.
To learn more about RC Combat, visit the Radio Controlled Combat Association (RCCA) website, listed in “Sources.”
SOURCES:
RCCA
www.rccombat.com
2023 AMA Nats
https://nats.modelaircraft.org
